


far better than socks

by frogchorus



Category: The Beatles (Band)
Genre: 5 thomas lane, Alternate Universe - No Beatles, Christmas Fluff, Gift buying, M/M, Modern AU, a fic of an AU. How about THAT, paul is hard to buy for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:21:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28299627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frogchorus/pseuds/frogchorus
Summary: 'Paul is impossibly hard to buy for' is a statement John has known all too well for the past 30 years, but what does he do when it comes to Christmas?
Relationships: John Lennon/Paul McCartney
Comments: 5
Kudos: 27





	far better than socks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ChutJeDors](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChutJeDors/gifts).
  * Inspired by [5 Thomas Lane](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13818678) by [ChutJeDors](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChutJeDors/pseuds/ChutJeDors). 



> A present for my lovely, treasured friend CJD. 
> 
> 5TL is a wonderful fic and brings so much joy to so many, so I thought I'd try and return some of that by writing a 5TL fic!! This was very fun to do, and I hope you like it!!

Christmas seemed to arrive earlier each year, John mused as he scrolled through the Argos website, looking at potential gifts for the children. Chuck had started begging for the Christmas CD to be played in the car that week too; with  _ weeks _ still to go until Christmas day. Festive lights and decorations had gone up in the centre of Liverpool in November, and both he and Paul were greatly relieved that none of the kids had started bringing up Christmas  _ then _ , like Dave had done  _ every  _ year until he was ten.

Truthfully, he loved the Christmas period, as did Paul. It was a time for togetherness, with Paul off work and the kids off school - if they were lucky, it would snow and the kids (even Dave!!!) would spend the day having the time of their lives _ outside!!  _ The cats seemed extra affectionate too, and of course, there was their tradition of having a Christmas night out with Ringo and George - a night with no kids and no worries, with every single thing possible taken care of. 

“Vera asked for a barbie car, so I know what to get her at least…” He spoke out loud, typing  _ barbie car _ into the Argos website’s search bar. He needed to discuss with Paul what else to get everyone; but this was a good start. Dave would probably get a new game (a _ very cool  _ one) , alongside some new (and  _ very cool _ clothes); (because their eldest was a  _ cool dude, bro _ ) (do people still say ‘cool dude’, John pondered). 

Chuck would get some toys - maybe arts and crafts supplies - and _even_ _more_ books (Paul’s influence, of course) about dinosaurs and trains (a book about dinosaurs _on_ trains would be _perfect._ Why didn’t that exist yet?!) And then there was the question of _everyone else_ \- family and friends. Hopefully, in the near future, someone would take care of the children for a day so he and Paul could go into town and buy as much as possible - the two together made a perfect gift buying machine. 

_ But what to get Paul?  _ The man was impossible to buy for. Books  _ seemed _ like a simple choice, but if he was being honest, John had no idea which books Paul didn’t own. Someone once suggested a book token, but there was NO ROOM in the house for John to be encouraging Paul’s book buying habits even more - he certainly didn’t want to make the trip to IKEA to buy another bookcase either, especially when their last visit was a month ago after Paul’s old bookcase had collapsed because the man had TOO. MANY. BOOKS. His to-read pile was probably about twice his height, and again - did  _ not _ need adding to. 

A night away in a fancy hotel somewhere for the two of them?  _ No.  _ Paul would probably bring his work with him, and spend the whole time doing that - even in the pool! And then it would get all wet and disgusting, and he’d just spend even more time doing his work and  _ not _ cuddling him - which was a lose-lose situation, really. (The man needed to learn how to relax properly. He’d make sure Paul would learn eventually, John promised himself.)

_ How _ , in the (almost) 30 years that he’d known - and been  _ dating and married to (!!!) _ Paul - did he always get so stuck for presents? The man was awkward to buy for, and had been for… well, forever.

“Maybe Dave would have some idea...” John thought out loud. “Or at  _ least  _ he could ask and get some inside knowledge?” ( _ Like a SPY!)  _ It was pointless asking his husband himself; he always answered with a  _ very thoughtful  _ but frankly impossible (for John to get) idea - “World Peace”, “Everyone to be happy”, “The Tories out of government”, “no more schoolwork marking? please!?” and while John found it incredibly endearing, and counted his blessings that he had such a thoughtful, kind man in his life, it really did  _ not _ help in his present-buying-quest.

Maybe he could -somehow- clone Martha? Though two Martha’s would probably be too much work and  _ way too much  _ fur to cope with. Also, it was definitely impossible to just  _ clone  _ an animal - so that was out of the picture. A fancy notebook? Hm - perhaps - but was a work related gift  _ really _ what he wanted to get his  _ incredibly _ overworked husband? Perhaps not. A new pair of slippers? He supposed he could; but that was the sort of present he would buy ‘from the kids’ to give to Paul. Oh well, there was only one thing for it - He’d have to ask Dave.

* * *

“Daaaaaavyyyy?” John called, knocking on his eldest’s door. 

“What is it, dad? I’m busy!”

“Can I come in? I won’t be long, promise!”

“Uuuuuhhh I guess?” was his response, as he opened the door for his father.

“So, how was school today?”

“Same as usual, not much happened…”

“No fights? Nobody falling over in the dinner hall?”

“Uhh no…? Jus’ a regular day, y’know”

“Anyway… I need you to ask your pop what he wants for christmas - from me-”

“You got me to ask last year!”

“ _ Because  _ he never answers me! Unless you have any ideas?”

“Uhhh”

“Please? For your  _ dear, darling, hard-working _ dad??”

“I guess… just… let me get back to what I was doing, yeah?”

“Alright alright! Thank you, Davy!” John replied, moving over to the door to leave Dave on his own, beaming at him all the time.

“Whatever, dad.” He said, in a tone that John could  _ tell _ meant he was also rolling his eyes.

A few days had passed, and John got a text-update from Dave.

> “ _ Pop said world peace _
> 
> _ have fun buying that. try the Aldi” _

John sighed - what kind of an answer was that! One he expected, of course - but  _ really!  _ Paul definitely knew he’d asked Dave to ask too, the sneaky bastard!

> _ “Think abt what u got him last year and stuff . might help. probs” _ read the next text from Dave - a very good idea! 

Last year, he’d bought Paul a very lovely coat - the idea came to him after remembering that he’d had his current coat for about 6 years, and the age was  _ really _ showing. Certain areas were becoming threadbare, and the zipper constantly got stuck too - it was pure  _ luck _ that year. The year before, he bought Paul a  _ very cool _ collection of Agatha Christie books from Kernaghan Books in town - a collection from the 1950s that now lived on a shelf in their living room, with a family picture and a collection of small cat figurines that he assumed were put there by Vera.

But neither were much help this year - like most years, he’d definitely be getting Paul a new, cosy knitted jumper, but needed something  _ special  _ to give to him. Paul seemed to be brilliant at gifts for him, and never seemed to break a sweat over  _ anyone’s _ presents over the holiday season. He’d checked catalogues and gift guides online, but they were no help - all they featured were  _ cologne, shaving kit, novelty mug, novelty socks, novelty tie, engraved pen, bottle of gin _ etc. None of those were  _ Paul. _ Sure, they were nice - but none felt  _ right. _ They all seemed like gifts he’d buy someone he barely knew, or a colleague in a secret santa event.

Well, there was only one thing for it - John would have to put his work aside at some point and go into town to search for the perfect gift. And even then he wasn’t sure if he would find it. There were too many options, and he’d probably get sidetracked anyway. But it was worth a shot!! Opening his diary, he picked out the following Wednesday as that fateful day - he’d estimated that the commission he was working on would be almost done by then, and he could always get a little extra work finished the day before to ensure he had the full day free (well, from 9 until 3 - when Chuck would need picking up from primary school). Paul wouldn’t suspect anything either - and so, John had formulated his very own ‘top secret mission’ to buy Paul’s Christmas present.

* * *

Wednesday morning. 10:46 AM. Chuck had been dropped off at school, Martha had been taken on her morning walk. Cups of tea had been drunk. The house had been tidied. John was waiting at the bus stop to make his way into town! He decided to go search in the vintage markets first - hoping to find something quintessentially  _ Paul _ in there - there was quite a good chance that he’d be in luck, as every time they’d been in the past, Paul had found something he really liked. The  _ only _ issue was that there were so many stalls and John had...three hours. 

* * *

After having no luck there, he set off into the city centre to look in as many shops as he could. Time seemed to be going too quickly, John decided. He’d checked in HMV to see if there were any nice record box sets, but no. The other record shops had nothing that shouted PAUL! At John, and he was steering clear of the bookshops. He’d picked up a cool Ramones shirt for Paul, but that was something they’d definitely end up sharing - so it was half a present for himself too.

He was starting to lose hope of finding something in town, so he decided to grab something for lunch and think about where else he could go. As he passed the camera shop to turn into a cafe, it dawned upon him. 

Paul had sorted out all the family pictures into boxes earlier that year - a collection of photo albums sorted by date would be  _ perfect _ . He could start with all their pictures from the 90s. Photos of clubs and gigs, the two of them messing around in various places, a photo of them and their first flat, celebrations and holidays - then move on to the 2000s - a decade that would take up  _ many _ albums - with even more holidays, and the cottage, and DAVE and VERA and their HOUSE and civil partnership!! The 2010s would be even more filled, with CHUCK and family holidays and getting MARRIED! (The thought of which still amazed John - married!! To Paul! At long last!)

And so, John made his way into the photography shop to pick up a few nice albums - plain, so he could decorate them each in a special way for Paul - to add that finishing touch. He’d have to make sure Paul didn’t want to see any photos in the coming weeks between then and Christmas, and if he did… John would have to lie and pretend he had no idea where they’d gone. It would be worth it though - this was the type of sentimental, sugary sweetness Paul enjoyed. Family memories and John’s art - two of his favourite things ever. How he didn’t think of this before, he’ll never know - but what mattered now is that he KNEW WHAT TO GIVE PAUL!! And it was far better than socks, even if he did say so himself.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, please leave a kudos and maybe a comment!! Also, read (or re-read) 5TL [HERE!!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13818678/chapters/31777536) It's amazing!!
> 
> You can find me on [my tumblr](https://mccartneyvinyl.tumblr.com/)


End file.
